Saturday, December 31, 2011

In case you've already read most of the books from Manuel Ramos's La Bloga's Best Reads that was posted yesterday, and are wondering what else you might have missed from 2011, from Chicana scholar and librarian Maria Teresa Marquez, a precursor who inspired La Bloga, comes her own impressive list to complement Ramos's. It includes many of our favorites, some of which we reviewed this year. (To my knowledge, there is no significance to the order in which they're presented.)

Friday, December 30, 2011

La Bloga's contributors present the list of best books of 2011. The guidelines were short and simple - name the book that, for whatever reason, you consider your favorite read this year. No restrictions on genre, ethnicity, or year of publication. Below are the results. There is no ranking among these books - they are listed in order of days of the week since we have different contributors each and every day.

The eclectic mix of books reflects the several points of views the bloguer@s bring to their weekly posts on La Bloga: biography, children's, novels, poetry; coming of age to confronting death; inspirational, upsetting, out-of-the ordinary. Something for all of our readers, a clever bunch as mixed and varied as the contributors.

We'd love to hear from you about your favorite reads, or maybe some reaction to the choices. In any event, we all hope you and yours have a happy, healthful, and literary 2012.

"I love to read the true stuff of life, especially when it’s highly dramatic. Anything to do with Colombia catches my eye. Add complex characters, intriguing history, and eloquent writing and you get my favorite book of the year. This is Ingrid Betancourt’s version of what happened while she was held hostage by FARC guerrilleros in the jungle for six years. Betancourt fascinates me and I love the way she writes. Here’s a post I wrote in January of 2011 about this book: http://labloga.blogspot.com/2011/01/ingrid-betancourts-silence.html. "

"I'm choosing the Steve Jobs biography not because I consider it the best but because of its ability to capture the complicated aspects of an individual who made a major impact on our culture. So many U.S. Latinas y Latinos have written their novels, short stories, poetry, non-fiction on a Mac or while listening to music via their I-Pods. This is a book about a man obsessed, who was abandoned, then adopted, became wealthy at a very young age, then abandoned his own first child (for a few years) and even denied she was his, was a product of the 60s -- right at the end of that era. Jobs was an individual who constantly exerted his male privilege with disarming charm and also with uncontrolled anger. It reveals all the contradictions/successes/failures of being human-- including the most serious failure of not treating his cancer when he could have done so early on and instead, opting for a variety of holistic treatments. I couldn't put it down and continue to think about it."

Amelia Montes lived in a commune in the Los Angeles area for six years and her Mexica indigenous heritage is Purepecha.

"Though Melinda Palacio's debut novel takes place during the infamous immigration sweeps in Chandler, Arizona, more than a decade ago, her tale could not be more timely. She has created a powerful protagonist in Isola, the young San Franciscan who inherits her mother's Arizona home only to find an undocumented immigrant living within. Palacio writes with courage as she confronts issues of identity, politics and family secrets. Ocotillo Dreams is a startling, moving and, indeed, necessary novel as our country roils with xenophobia and unfettered disdain for the other."

Daniel A. Olivas is the author of The Book of Want. Daniel's first pet was a Siamese cat whom he named Susie.

Melinda's book also was selected by Michael Sedano (La Bloga - Tuesday)

"In a year with novels from Rudolfo Anaya, Daniel Olivas, and Sergio Troncoso, bloguera Melinda Palacio’s debut novel stands out for its strong woman’s voice and ingenious plotting."

"My favorite book of 2011 is Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match/ Marisol McDonald no combina written my Monica Brown and illustrated by Sara Palacios. Marisol is a bicultural child. She is different! She is unique! But everyone said that she doesn't match at all. She could not wear polka dotted shirts and striped pants or eat peanut butter and jelly on burritos. Even her name did not match with her last name. Marisol tried to change to make everyone happy but now Marisol McDonald was sad because she was pretending to be another child. She realized that she was perfect in her own way even if she didn't match. Everyone be happy the way you are. Everyone is unique and we need to celebrate it!"

"My favorite book of the year is Juice! by Ishmael Reed. This imaginative satire about an aging, diabetic, African American cartoonist, obsessed with O.J. Simpson is a wild ride through the American landscape of the last few decades. La Bloga readers will find a lot to identify with in its depiction of postmodern racism. And if they haven't discovered Ishmael Reed's work, the need to seek it out and start reading it now."

In 2012 Ernest Hogan's books will become available as ebooks -- something the Maya did not predict.

"In this collection Martín Espada explores the city landscape and turns founding myths inside out (such as baseball as the all-American game.) A master of disguises, he veils the knifelike quality of his verses with humor and elegance as he tears our defenses down. Suddenly, we have no choice but to confront prejudice (especially our own) head on.... These poems teach us how to read the newspaper with new, poetic eyes and, hopefully, to transform our anger into words that bellow against injustice."

The Trouble Ball was also selected by Melinda Palacio (La Bloga - Friday)

"My vote goes to Martín Espada's The Trouble Ball: Poems. Espada is fearless in his poetry. He says so much with a few strokes. In The Trouble Ball, he pays tribute to his father, mentors, and people he has loved and lost. Espada has a way of turning injustice and justice into a refrain you want to read over and over again. His exquisite poetry inspires me."

"As noted in the introduction, Abelardo Lalo Delgado (1930-2004) could be hailed as the humble poet laureate de Aztlán, a title well-deserved. I knew him also as an activist, entertainer, comedian, philosopher, cultural warrior, and teacher. All of these roles, and more, are admirably presented in this collection. Hats off to the editor, Jarica Linn Watts, who gathered and edited the material, and to the Delgado family for their willingness to share Lalo's papers and rare publications with new generations of readers. Kudos to Arte Público Press for saving and investing in Lalo's bits of wisdom and, thus, preserving an important part of American history that otherwise would be lost. The editor includes five of Lalo's self-published volumes (out of fourteen), which represents a major step in safeguarding Lalo's output. Open this book to any page and you will hear the voice of a sensitive, strong, caring human being. Lalo continues to inspire and lead."

"As a co-founder and regular contributor to La Bloga, and a primary bilingual teacher, I selected our own René Colato Laínez's book My Shoes And I. It received 2nd place in the 2011 International Latino Book Award in the Best Children's Book - English category. Synopsis: Mario is leaving his home in El Salvador. With his father he is going north to join his mother who lives in the U.S. She sent Mario a new pair of shoes, and he is thrilled. He will need them because the trip will be long and hard, crossing the borders of three countries. They will walk, ride buses, climb mountains and wade the river. But Mario has faith and believes his shoes will take him anywhere where his family will be reunited. An inspiring story--dramatically illustrated by Fabricio Vanden Broeck. I won't repeat my whole appraisal from my May 2011 post about this book's cultural relevancy for young Latino bilinguals. But from days of watching a class read, reread, analyze and discover My Shoes, I've no doubt it should be in every home library."

A little-known fact no one would guess about me is that I have an athletic zombie's pulse (54), or prebradycardia.

___________________________

I'm impressed - by the list and by our contributors. If you read at least one of these books I guarantee you will start the new year right. Goodbye 2011. Ya 'stuvo. We've had fun - maybe we provided a bit of valuable information, an insight or two, moved someone to laugh or a wistful sigh. But if we accomplished nothing more than maintaining a forum for a new novelist or poet, or reintroducing an old favorite, we've done our job.

Over the holiday, the Gluten-free Chicano made a cardinal mistake. All antojado for chile colorado at northeast LA’s best chicano food emporium, El Arco Iris, that’s what I ordered and cleaned my plate.

I know this superb restaurant, like so many others, uses wheat flour to thicken its red chile roux. I gave that not a thought until later that hour when my body began calling me a pendejo for poisoning it. Over the next two days I reminded myself of my standard ever-lasting new year resolution: always read the label, ask the order-taker to check ingredients, or order cocido.

The only avenue to enjoy safe chile colorado is cook it yourself.

Quick Gluten-free chile Colorado

The fastest method uses a bottle of blended chile powder. I like the flavor of Gebhardt’s, it was my mom’s standard. You can take a little more time and blend your own from such flavors as California, Pasilla, New Mexico, Negro, Arbol, Piquín. Add comino, salt, black pepper.

With meat still pink, stir half a jar of Gebhardt’s chile powder into the pan.

Add liquid slowly, like pork, beef, chicken, or vegetable broth, or water. Simmer at low boil five minutes. Mix 2 tablespoons corn starch in a quarter cup of water and stir this into the chile until it thickens to satisfaction.

in the screaming quiet
of night time
the hunted come
to seek passage
across
the invisible line,
while the hunters
sit silently
in waiting
to steal
the hunted ones
dreams.
the line
it is drawn
in the red earth
as real as
one's imagination
allows it to be.
the delerious
and refined art
of the hunters
armed
with high power
killing machines,
scanning the moonless night
for anything that moves...
anyone who dreams.
the footprints
have been
counted
on the paths
smoothed over
by thread-bare
old tires...
the hunters
and the hunted,
wits against wits,
pitting life against
death,
freedom against
hopelessness,
on the border
that separates
the dreamer
from the dream...

Remember It Now...by Iris De Anda

propaganda
mass delusion
gives you visions of fear
wears you down
down the abyss
intoxicated paranoia
you have been lied to
senseless words
static noise
disguised ideals
frequency misused
feeling marginalized
misunderstood
alienated
divided they conquer
our choice is clear
expose
decompose
compost patterns of the past
not meant to last
agenda of the ages
disengages
third eye shut down
open it now
sages must rise up
upward and onward
wave wands of truth
ground self in Earth
build movements
that shake away
tear down
deconstruct
all that this programmed
reset button now
know this
you are heaven sent
brilliant being
of stardust
holding cosmic truths
let it flow forth
before structures and order
chaos came first
perfect explosion of life
descends onto this
dimension outside
space time continuum
gather warriors of the rainbow
together
unite
connect essence
through energetic
cords of light
lift all to higher good
a vast experiment
experience
consciousness
look within to travel far
inside is what you seek
a code that decodes
natural detector of lies
solar plexus
guides your path
global nexus
interlacing ideas
free us
be yourself
question reality
invent your own
create a better world
then recreate it again
always growing
weaver of dreams
believe no one
love everyone
your soul on fire
heart embers
remember it now

Mari Herreras, a fifth generation Tucsonan, is an award-winning journalist who works for the Tucson Weekly. When she’s not writing about the ugly and beautiful that makes Tucson weird and wonderful, she writes with the Sowing the Seeds women's writing collective. The group recently published its second anthology, "Our Spirit, Our Reality: Celebrating Our Stories."

Kathryn Rising Dove Robinson-Martel, of English and Native American descent, grew up in the suburbs of New York City, and moved to rural Maine in 1979. to be closer to nature. She endeavors to have a book of poetry published one day, finding inspiration in the natural, simple life Maine has to offer. She attended Nasson College, University of Southern Maine and Pace University at White Plains.

foto:msedano

Francisco X. Alarcón, award winning Chicano poet and educator, is author of twelve volumes of poetry, including, From the Other Side of Night: Selected and New Poems (University of Arizona Press 2002), and Snake Poems: An Aztec Invocation (Chronicle Books 1992) His latest book is Ce•Uno•One: Poems for the New Sun (Swan Scythe Press 2010). His book of bilingual poetry for children, Animal Poems of the Iguazú (Children’s Book Press 2008), was selected as a Notable Book for a Global Society by the International Reading Association. His previous bilingual book titled Poems to Dream Together (Lee & Low Books 2005) was awarded the 2006 Jane Addams Honor Book Award. He has been a finalist nominated for Poet Laureate of California in two occasions. He teaches at the University of California, Davis. He is the creator of the Facebook page POETS RESPONDING TO SB 1070 that you can visit at:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Poets-Responding-to-SB-1070/117494558268757?ref=ts